Questions regarding execution of business' long term goals
1
vote
1answer
197 views
What's the best launching strategy when building a (social) community?
I'm contemplating a couple of options: A) Create a lot of buzz, just before the opening B) Create quite a bit of buzz about the beta phase and have interested people sign up/test C) Just let the ...
1
vote
2answers
284 views
Can I copyright or otherwise protect a business vision/strategy?
I am involved as a cofounder in a tech/software company. My associate is bringing initial funding and is conversant with finance/accounting, facilities/infrastructure and general organizational ...
0
votes
1answer
818 views
Definition of customer value in the context of a value chain
I work for a large complex company, I delibrately do not want to say, which business it is in, in order to make this discussion general. In this company, as in many others, there are lots of ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
Umbrella branding Vs Individual branding
What are the benefits/disadvantages/difficulties of umbrella branding, i.e.,
"overarching brand used across multiple related products" (wiki)
vs individual branding.
We are looking for a ...
0
votes
2answers
334 views
How to start selling locally developed CMS and ecommerce system globally?
I have developed advanced CMS software with integrated ecommerce system for running large eshops and managing content on multiple websites. It has some really modern features it's all AJAX, ...
1
vote
4answers
103 views
Getting more customers for a resume writing service
I have a website providing online resume and cover letter services (resumesquare.com). I have used various inbound marketing techniques like Facebook, Linkedin, bulk email, Yahoo Groups, freelancing ...
2
votes
6answers
186 views
Buying Expensive Commercial Licenses for Startup?
This is regarding a SAAS based software product I am about to launch. One of the key innovation of this product is automation of a human process, this automation is built on top of an expensive ...
3
votes
4answers
235 views
Idea for a product outside my competency - how to proceed?
I have an idea for a very niche/boutique slightly naughty chocolate product to be sold online, but I am not sure how to approach it. The product will require moulding/shaping chocolate into a ...
2
votes
5answers
291 views
Won't an operational manual incur many competitors?
I read the book*The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It*. It is said that we should treat a business as a system, as a money-making machine. We should have ...
0
votes
1answer
360 views
Any examples of large companies measuring profits and cashflow instead of making traditional cost/revenue budgets?
The following is a copy and paste from this discussion with Pierre 303:
Let us take an example where I believe that it is clear that there are no reasons for budget. Imagine a company, which has ...
0
votes
2answers
44 views
Goal setting for the new year
Many of us here on the site are owners of small businesses or getting a startup up and running. I'm curious to know what goals people are setting for the new year, and whether or not you spend time ...
2
votes
1answer
335 views
How to exploit long-term thinking in a short-term thinking company? [closed]
I have read the strategy document (written in Norwegian), written by some excellent investment advisors with recommendations for the Norwegian pension fund (the second largest investment fund in the ...
11
votes
9answers
529 views
How to Build a Strong Social Network for a Young Entrepreneur?
"It's Not What You Know, It's Who You
Know" -Old English Proverb
Having a strong social network is a Must-Have of every entrepreneur. Our friends and partners make us stronger in areas we're ...
3
votes
1answer
129 views
Starting a start up in Egypt
I was wondering if anyone has started a start up in Egypt or has any experience to share?
1
vote
6answers
309 views
Bad Signs: When non-tech people say “what am I looking at”
So I am finally finished writing my software product after a long time (1.5 years)...full time almost development and research by myself.
This software is designed for businesses and research ...
7
votes
9answers
3k views
How did you come up with your business idea?
For those of you who have successful businesses, how did you come up with your business idea?
I'm trying to think of a business idea but none of the ideas I've come up with so far (currently about ...
7
votes
4answers
214 views
How can a bootstrapped startup start to expand sales without outside funding?
So I have a bootstraped startup that's starting to get some traction. A little background: we make a classroom recording appliance that works with fixed positioned cameras in classrooms to record and ...
5
votes
3answers
115 views
In need of strategic advice
Some days I feel that I need someone experienced to have a top-level discussion of my next business steps. I don't necessarily feel that approaching investors is the right move for that -- I'm not ...
4
votes
6answers
222 views
A question on startup strategy - this is a real world scenario we are facing, not a hypothetical
This is an actual problem we have to decide on with our startup. Help me decide!
SCENARIO
You are doing a startup. You have launched, you have customers, revenue and some traction. You are ...
4
votes
3answers
404 views
An idea to implement R&D in a software services startup
I have seen that working in a fledgling software services firm as a programmer entails a lot (in fact, all) of the time being spent working on meeting client specs and requirements on their software ...
2
votes
2answers
111 views
How to approach retailer to arrange onselling agreement
In our local area there are certain products that are sold at a much higher premium by large big brand retail stores and they move a lot of this product.
There are smaller established stores who also ...
3
votes
2answers
174 views
How do you determine which online marketing tools/applications to use?
So you want to do marketing for your company. You've created a marketing plan and want to implement it. How do you determine which applications/vendors to use?
For example, for email marketing and ...
1
vote
5answers
279 views
A customer gives a very low counteroffer for my service, how should I react?
I resigned from my former job and begin to prepare my international trade business. Since it probably will take me a lot of time before I make a profit, I also provide language ...
1
vote
5answers
148 views
How do you market your business in a saturated economy?
How do you market your business in a saturated economy?
4
votes
7answers
315 views
What are the barriers to good/great execution?
I always hear that it's execution that matters, not the idea, and that you can have a great idea, team, resources but still good execution is not guaranteed. How can that happen? I have been working ...
1
vote
3answers
109 views
Do large companies just work as tax-free zones with lower accounting standards?
Large companies are often organized into business units (GM is supposted to be a primer on this). These units essentially function like smaller companies. The only difference is that the accounting ...
1
vote
5answers
265 views
How would you compete against Digg / Reddit
I think the time is right to launch a site that is similar to Digg / Reddit but stays close to Digg's original ethos of catering toward tech.
I wouldn't compete against Digg directly. Digg is too ...
2
votes
2answers
349 views
What strategies do you use to deal with uncertainty in your startup?
Startups are full of uncertainty, which typically gets (a little) less as the business grows. Lots and lots of questions about almost everything that the founder doesn't (yet) know the answer to. To ...
3
votes
7answers
433 views
What should be the first steps in developing leads for a start up?
I have a high tech software start up B2B ...I know in my industry that competitors market through blogs, webinars, seo, associations, broadcast emails etc... I am targeting the Canadian Small to ...
1
vote
3answers
100 views
Future development of an e-learning product
I initally started with the aim of rolling out a number of courses based around peer-to-peer learning i.e. you learn by marking and commenting on other students essays. This soon to be too broad a ...
9
votes
5answers
405 views
A/B testing a price point
Is it legally/ethically bad to run a split test on the price point of your product?
Temporary coupons don't test the right things and introduce other variables into the experiment, and changing the ...
2
votes
6answers
1k views
Do you believe in Blue Ocean Strategy?
Blue Ocean Strategy is a business methodology that says: instead of competing in a market with existing competitors (red oceans), why not create your own market (blue ocean) and dominate it?
Here is ...
0
votes
1answer
120 views
How do you know what industry to choose?
My technology is at the early adopter phase of the market and most players have horizontal focuses into many verticals. Occasionally you see one competitor that has taken a vertifcal focus into one ...
1
vote
2answers
160 views
Should I create a new brand of products for different audiences?
I'm very curious about which option is better for the company's strategy view:
A one general product for the three target groups,
Or three different products for three target groups
Or a product ...
5
votes
8answers
392 views
Frustrating objection to lean startup strategies
I said: "We should build a minimally viable product, push it out and see how the market respond."
Biz partner said: "No, we should build a full featured product and give a good first impression."
I ...
2
votes
2answers
149 views
marketing a upcoming website
I will be launching my website (ecommerce site) in two weeks. I was wondering if there is an effective way (or what shoul I do) to tell people about the official launch of my website.
should it be a ...
3
votes
8answers
285 views
Customer feedback - good or bad?
Interesting post from Mark Cuban titled "why you should NEVER listen to your customer" references an long standing Alan Kay quote "the best way to predict the future is to invent it"
Cuban then goes ...
0
votes
2answers
125 views
Syndicate generics
If you have have a number of generic TLD's and they were syndicated for seed money to develop each 4 authoritative sites for the benefit of one new brand name: e.g. price comparison platform platform ...
3
votes
5answers
470 views
SEO priorities for Startups?
We are in the process of building a website for an online start up offering live entertainment to those organising events. What should be our onpage/website SEO priorities for driving traffic?(except ...
4
votes
6answers
258 views
What has been the most surprising challenge of doing a start up?
What is the one single challenge that has surprised you the most about doing a start up and what strategies and tactics did you execute to overcome this challenge?
5
votes
1answer
97 views
What are the pros and cons of repackaging our saas product as an OEM product?
We've started beta testing our WordonWiki software. WordonWiki is a Wiki with all the features you'd expect from a wiki, but it lets you create and edit pages with MS Word.
We're getting good ...
3
votes
1answer
159 views
How to best make use of large corporate “partnership”?
Let's say a small software company has a product which can help several very large key players within the industry sell far more of their products. Let us also assume that these corporate giants have ...
5
votes
1answer
104 views
Do the same Inbound Marketing rules apply for a systems company?
My present company is a systems company that has to sell both hardware and software to business end customers. We are close to launching our product and I was wondering if the same Inbound Marketing ...
2
votes
3answers
121 views
How much transparency is too much?
Recently, my partners and I thought it would be a good idea to blog about almost everything about our company. This includes things like the following:
Revenue
Expenses
Meeting discussions
Other ...
4
votes
4answers
244 views
Why do some companies like Apple hide announcing their new product till the last moment
One reason I can understand is that they don't want competitors to find out the features of their product hence releasing their own product before they get a chance to release it themselves.
I ...
1
vote
2answers
181 views
Rich Internet Applications - your product strategy
Could someone share your experiences if you have created a rich internet application (Adobe AIR) version of the web application? Or, created a hybrid or lighter version of the web application as a ...
8
votes
4answers
3k views
I created a software product. How and where do I promote it?
So I had an itch to scratch, and out came my startup. Granted it's a simple product, but what it does it does well. Now that it's launched and available for purchase, I'm at a loss for where to ...
4
votes
2answers
870 views
How do you define or evaluate your strategy?
There are always too many options, too many ideas, too many unknown even too many answers.
Do you have any methodology?
What tool do you use?
How do you define or evaluate your strategy?
4
votes
5answers
1k views
Importance of Competitive Advantage in Tech Companies
I've always been taught to have a competitive advantage. What makes my company special, different, better, etc. What prevents someone from doing what making something that mimics my business. Well, I ...
4
votes
4answers
388 views
The Return Policy for Handmade Craft
I am interested to open an online shop for selling handmade craft ( something like those displayed on etsy), but I afraid that there is a tendency for buyers to return and refund goods at will just ...
